The Beginning
by By the Void
Summary: Our favorite heroes go on a camping trip in a Modern-day AU! Horror and sexual themes (Everyone lives I swear)
1. Day 1

**BalVaan - Camping was just the beginning**

 **Day One**

The group of seven had been waiting _months_ for this camping trip, and camping was just the beginning, their plans for the two weeks they were spending up in those mountains certainly grand. They loaded up their gear, three tents for the seven to share. Ashe, Penelo, and Fran in one, Basch and his twin Gabranth in another, and Vaan and Balthier in the last.

They decided it'd be best to take separate vehicles as well, in case something happened that left any of them unable to run. The girls were riding in Fran's '16 Toyota Camry, Basch and Gabranth in Basch's '03 GMC Sierra, and Balthier and Vaan in Balthier's '17 Pontiac GTO. The cars showed just how much their personalities differed. Practical, classical, and flashy.

"You sure it's okay to take this up the mountain, Balthier?" Vaan worried his lip, crossing his arms over his middle. Balthier sat his hand, palm up, on the center console, and Vaan's was almost immediately in his. Their fingers laced, and Balthier squeezed.

"Don't worry, darling," his boyfriend purred back. "I've taken this car up here plenty of times. Never wrecked it before."

"I've come with you on almost every trip we've taken up here, you're full of shit." Vaan rolled his eyes, but smiled. Fran and Balthier had known one another since middle school, meeting Basch and Gabranth in high school. Vaan and Penelo were a few years younger and met them later at a bar, where they all hit it off on Vaan's 21st birthday.

Now Vaan was 26 and he'd been dating Balthier for four years, quite happily. Their sex life was amazing and Balthier was constantly taking him out on dates, ranging from late night visits to the park to 5-star restaurants. No matter what it was, Vaan was simply happy to spend time with his love.

Their playful banter continued until they reached their campsite, which was large enough to fit all three vehicles and still leave more than enough space for activities. The clear area had a fire pit in the center and was surrounded by thick trees, a natural green canopy overhead to block out the worst of the sun's rays.

"I know exactly what you're thinking, Vaan, and you still need sunscreen," Penelo called out as they exited their vehicles, the blonde male cringing slightly. Penelo was his best friend and a mother hen, he'd never get away with not wearing sunscreen while she was around.

So after applying what Vaan would consider WAY too much sunscreen, they began the most grueling part of their trip; setting up their tents. Vaan was always useless as far as pitching a tent goes, so Balthier took over for them while Vaan began gathering sticks to kindle the fire they'd soon need.

Balthier joined him soon enough, their tent pitched perfectly between some low-branched trees, and more notably, across the campsite from the other tents. Balthier and Vaan had never hidden their relationship - Not that they needed to, their friends were all very supportive - so it was an unspoken rule to keep their tents as far from the couple's as possible.

Vaan laughed softly, nudging Balthier with his shoulder playfully as they brought their collected wood back to the fire pit. "What's on the agenda for today?"

"Given we got a bit of a late start in getting here, we're putting off the caves until tomorrow. We were thinking of taking a hike today instead," Balthier replied, dumping his sticks into the pit and moving toward the truck for their chairs. Vaan followed, because even _he_ could set up a camping chair.

"Sounds good. We actually brought the headlamps this time, right?"

"Of course, dear. Not a mistake I'm inclined to make twice."

"I've known you to make the same mistake _multiple_ times, Balthier," Fran chimed in, smirking about as much as the stoic woman was able. "Like how you kept trying the same pickup line on Vaan, even though he certainly wasn't buying it."

"That was two years ago, Fran." Uh oh. Balthier was sulking. Vaan snorted, turning the man's gorgeous face toward his and planting a chaste kiss on his lips, which was perfect for changing the man's mood instantly.

"Well obviously he did something right after all," Vaan murmured, flashing white teeth in a brilliant grin… And Balthier was sulking again. Vaan laughed, and the rest of their party joined in (Except for Basch, of course, because Basch doesn't even know how to smile let alone laugh).

Eventually they were all ready for their hike, the ladies and Vaan having changed into shorts and tanktops. Vaan had always dressed somewhat feminine, though he was by no means girly. He claimed they were more flattering to his body, and Balthier certainly agreed, especially when Vaan wore shorts. These ones were denim, coming to the middle of his thigh and showing off a lot of those long, tan legs.

"Head out of the gutter, Balthier, we're wasting daylight," Basch gruffed out, his brother nudging him with a disapproving stare. The man in question only shrugged with a smirk, taking Vaan's hand in his own, their cue to start walking.

"You're just jealous the only person who you're close enough to for a romantic relationship is your brother," Balthier snarked, and everyone rolled their eyes. This was the typical, first-day bickering that always happened between the two men.

"A damn handsome man he is, no reason to be jealous."

"Basch, he looks like you if you'd clean up a little."

"Shut up," Ashe groaned, Penelo humming her agreement as they continued up the side of the mountain.

Their hike had lasted for a good four hours, up and back down. By the time they got back, they were all thoroughly exhausted. Ashe flopped down in her chair, her head tipped back as he hair slipped further from the semblance of a ponytail she'd managed to wrangle the short strands into. Ashe was referred to as their "resident princess", and for a damn good reason. Nobody really held it against her though.

Basch and Gabranth disappeared to go find some suitable firewood while Fran got the sticks kindling. Vaan and Balthier dragged their coolers out of the back of the truck, both of them huge and filled with enough ice to last a month in the expensive, insulated coolers.

One was stocked with drinks, soda, beer, vodka, you name it. The other contained their food. Nobody could really tell you which one they couldn't survive without. Lack of food lead to starvation, sure, but what was camping without any booze?

By the time the fire was going and everyone was settled, the sun was sinking below the horizon steadily. The fire was crackling, warm and bright and pleasant against their skin. Each person had a cup filled with some sort of alcohol as they chatted animatedly about the things they'd seen on their hike.

"I can't believe that squirrel attacked Ashe," Vaan laughed out, covering his mouth in a sad attempt to hide his snickers. All eyes fell on Ashe, who grimaced deeply at the unwanted attention.

"Maybe if _somebody_ had not put _nuts_ in my backpack, I wouldn't have been attacked by squirrels!" This only made Vaan laugh harder, doubling over in his chair and trying desperately to keep his cup upright as his laughter shook his whole frame.

Balthier snorted, biting his lip to keep his smirk to a minimum. It took all of two seconds before everyone lost their composure, varying from twitching lips (Basch) to snorting laughter (Penelo). Even Ashe managed to put aside her bent feelings and smile a little, taking a sip and trying so hard to put the glare back on her face.

"You're all assholes," she snapped, though her voice held no venom now.

"But we're _your_ assholes," Gabranth pitched in, a man of few and meaningful words. Ashe smiled at him, cheeks dimpling with the force of it. Gabranth blushed and looked away, coughing and taking a drink.

"Aww, he's blushing," Penelo squealed, a wicked smirk on her face as his blush deepened. The woman was a sadist, Vaan swore.

"Alright, alright. It's pretty late, we should finish up and turn in," Balthier cut in, downing the contents of his cup. "We've gotta get a head start tomorrow on getting the gear to the caves. Make sure we have time to make sure brought all the gear-"

"Like the headlamps-"

"Yes, Vaan, like the headlamps," Balthier growled playfully, rolling his eyes dramatically. New laughter arose, but died down much quicker. They sat in comfortable silence from that point, until everybody was finished with their own drinks.

Fran turned on the portable stereo they always brought when camping, turning it up so it was able to clearly reach each tent, but no louder. There was a purpose once, as Penelo had a hard time sleeping in silence years ago, but now it was more of a tradition than anything.

It also made it much easier for everyone to ignore when Balthier and Vaan went at it like rabbits, since the two fucked like newlyweds. As though everybody thought the same things as the music started, their eyes turned toward the couple. Vaan blushed, Balthier smirked.

Challenge accepted, he thought smugly, which must have shown on his face as Fran rolled her eyes, Penelo and Ashe groaned, and the twins turned away without another word. As if to show he was serious, Balthier stuck his hand right into the back of Vaan's pants and steered him toward their tent, the blonde's protests reaching the rest of their friends all the way there.

"We're in for a long night," Penelo muttered.

 **Okay. Day one,** _ **finita**_ **! It's probably absolute shit but I don't even care anymore x'D**


	2. Day Two

**Thanks to the few who have actually read this, and the even fewer (1) who actually commented! I know a lot of people don't like to admit this seriously, but reviews really let me know that you like it and help me to continue writing. Whether it's good or bad, any feedback is welcome! Also more Franelo shipping here. Oops.**

 **Without further adieu, The Beginning - Day 2**

"Alright, is everybody ready?" Nods from all around answered Ashe's question. Each person adorned a backpack, headlamp, and rappelling gear for their first trip into new caves. "Let's get goin' then. Who wants to go first and test how well the ropes are anchored?"

Vaan was over the side before anyone had a word in, feet braced on the side as he pulled cautiously on the rope. Deciding there was no give, he gave a thumbs up to the others and began his descent down into the cave, too deep to see the bottom when at the top.

They followed him in one by one until all seven were in the first branch of caves. Vaan shrugged off his backpack, pulling out a flare. He lit it, dropping it on the ground by where the caves split off. "Balthier and I will take this cave. Fran and Penelo, the far right cave, and you three go to the second to last. We'll meet back here and take the middle together. Sound good?"

"Yes. Penelo, let us go."

"Yep! Watch your step everyone," Penelo shouted over her shoulder as everyone split into their respective directions.

"You think Penelo will ever admit she has a crush on Fran," Vaan asked when he was positive they were out of earshot of the other.

"I don't know, darling. Took me two whole years just to get you by my side, we ought to let them take their time," Balthier replied, taking Vaan's hand into his own and placing a soft kiss on the back of a tanned hand, the sensation all too pleasant for the blonde.

"It's been six years, Balthier… She's liked Fran since the day they met, yet I can't read Fran at all. I can't tell how she feels about Penelo. Can you?"

"I know Fran well. I've known her for most of my life after all. She can be hard to read if you don't know what to look for, but I assure you she likes Penelo just as much as Penelo likes her. What are you planning, my little Desert Thief?"

Vaan cringed at the nickname. He'd been caught stealing when he was _ten_ , and his boyfriend had not dropped that nickname since the day Vaan told him the story of how he walked out with a lollipop as a child. "I'm not _planning_ anything, I just think maybe we should find a subtle way to… Give them a little push. Six years of pining after each other without a single word has to feel awful."

"We certainly wouldn't know," Balthier murmured as he stopped, pulling Vaan into his arms and kissing him slowly. In mere seconds, Vaan was up against the wall of the cave, Balthier's tongue dominating his mouth and their hips grinding together.

"Balthier, stop," Vaan whined breathlessly. "They'll be expecting us back, we don't have time!"

"They don't know how far this branch goes," Balthier said suggestively, squeezing Vaan's ass in his hands, moving to nibble his jaw and neck.

"Well _we_ do, since ours loops into yours," a snide voice interrupted them. Vaan tried to pry out of Balthier's arms, but the man had none of it, only turning a lazy smirk on Basch, Gabranth, and Ashe.

"Seems it does," came Balthier's cool reply, pressing himself fully against Vaan to further trap him. "If you don't mind…?"

"We do," Basch gruffed, crossing his arms. Seeing that they were definitely not going to leave well enough alone, Balthier released Vaan with his usual over-dramatic sigh.

"Fine, let's go find the ladies, then."

After regrouping with the women at the entrance of the cave, they all made their way down the last tunnel.

"Say, wouldn't this just come back around to the first one like yours did," Vaan asked, looking skeptically forward into the darkness.

"Yes, if you hook a left just up ahead. There's a path straight though, so we should be alright," Ashe replied from the front of their little formation. They carried on until it hit a dead end, nothing but a narrow crevice that would take them further.

"I don't think Basch or Gabranth will be able to fit through here," Penelo said, frowning. "Gosh, Balthier might not even be able to make it. Only Fran, Ashe, Vaan, and I are small enough to get through there."

"Well let's go check it out then." Ashe didn't wait for a response before she started squeezing, sideways, through the crevice. Vaan shrugged, always the adventurous type, and went in right after her, followed closely by Penelo and Fran.

"Make sure you take pictures," Gabranth called after them, leaning against the wall to wait for the others. Balthier mimicked him, while Basch aimed his headlamp into the crevice to give them more light to work with.

It was a solid sixty seconds of silence, then an ear-piercing scream. All three men tensed, running to the crevice to try and see the other side. "What's going on!?"

"It's Ashe! The crevice ends right into a fucking hole! She fell," Came Vaan's panicked voice. Balthier's blood went cold, thinking of Vaan falling in. He cared about Ashe, though not enough to overshadow his protective instincts for his lover.

"Ashe, are you okay," Vaan called, voice jittery and tense.

"I'm fine," came the reply. "It's not too far down, if you guys get a rope, I might be able to climb out."

"I'll go," Balthier offered immediately. "I can run the fastest, I'll be back soon." When the twins agreed, he took off running the way they came. He ran and ran, concerned when the flare never appeared. He huffed in irritation, turning around and doubling back.

It took maybe thirty seconds to reach his friends once more. "What the fuck," he hissed, wiping his sweaty hair from his forehead.

"What happened? You've been gone for ten minutes. Did you get the rope?"

"No! I never reached the entrance. I was at a dead sprint the whole way, when I turned back it took me no time to get here. Like I was on a treadmill," said the visibly frustrated brunette.

"Impossible," Basch said, eyeing him skeptically.

"Don't believe me, eh? Fine, go ahead and try for yourself. You'll get nowhere." The blonde took his invitation, pushing past him aggressively. Soon the light from his lamp was no longer visible, and Balthier honestly hoped he was just going crazy and it was further than he thought.

"Balthier," Vaan called out, and said man pressed himself against the crevice. "Balthier, I don't see Ashe anymore. She hasn't been replying to me either since you left. I took my eyes off her for a second and she's gone. I think I'm gonna go down there."

"Don't you dare! She might not have gotten hurt, but you might! We shouldn't split up," Balthier reasoned, panic creeping into his voice. His idiot blonde was going to get himself in trouble.

"I have to, what if she's in trouble!?"

"God dammit! I'll come with you. I'll strip if that's what it takes to get through there," Balthier growled. "Penelo, I'd like you to stay here with Basch and Gabranth. I need Fran with me, but I don't want it to be just those two in case something happens."

"'Kay, I can do that." Penelo's voice trembled almost unnoticeably, and Balthier felt bad for her. Of course she'd be scared. He watched as Fran shimmied out, followed by Penelo. Fran let Balthier go in first. It was a tight fit, but he was still able to move, albeit slowly.

"Okay, Vaan. I'm going to hold your hand and try to lower you as much as possible before you have to drop. You don't get to argue about this." Vaan nodded slightly, the motion only distinguishable by the light of his headlamp shaking.

Balthier grabbed a tight hold of Vaan's wrist, the blonde's own hand wrapping around his wrist. They stepped sideways until Vaan was out of the crevice, feet propped against the wall and using Balthier to keep up. Balthier started to slowly lean out of the crevice, bending sideways and lowering Vaan as much as he could.

"It's about… About a six foot drop from here. I should be fine, let go." Balthier was reluctant, that was absolute, but he released his grip nonetheless. He heard Vaan grunt as he hit the ground. "I'm fine," Vaan said before Balthier could spew his worry.

"Alright. Me next I suppose. If he said it's a six foot drop from where his feet were, it's probably about eleven or twelve feet altogether… Alright. Fran, let me know when you're coming down so I can catch you."

Maneuvering so his feet were on the ledge, hands gripping the wall for support, he slowly lowered himself down until he was able to grab the ledge with his hands. Once he was positive he had a secure handhold, he dropped his weight to dangle, then let go.

The fall was hard, and he cursed. He pulled Vaan in for a brief kiss, brushed himself off, and held his arms open for Fran. In the light of his headlamp, he was able to see a petite brow arch, unimpressed.

"C'mon old girl, let's get this over with." Rolling her eyes, she hopped down, Balthier catching her and setting her down immediately. "Alright. Let's find Ashe."

 **And that's chapter two, everybody! Please let me know what you thought of it. Thank you!**


	3. Day Three

**Thank you to the few have read this fic. I truly hope you're all enjoying it and will stick with it until the end. I'm not planning for more than 14 chapters at the MOST, but I hope you enjoy what does come. Thank you again.**

 **Day 3**

Vaan's eyes opened slowly, his head cushioned comfortably on a firm chest. He raised his head slowly to see the face of his sleeping lover, and he'd smile if not for the strange and frustrating situation they had found themselves in.

Vaan sat up slowly, looking around at his still sleeping companions. They had decided before going to bed that splitting up was definitely _not_ the way to go. It took time and effort, but the twins somehow managed to squeeze their way through the gap.

He noticed that the twins slept a few feet apart, but their fingers were laced together to make sure they weren't separated. Penelo was tucked into Fran's side, though not entirely for the same reason. He allowed a smile at that. Those two would be good together.

"You're not usually the first one up." Balthier's voice made Vaan jump, head snapping toward the sound. Balthier chuckled, running his large hand up and down Vaan's back in a comforting manner. "I'd tell you to relax, but I think we're all on edge."

"Yeah," Vaan mumbled, laying back down on Balthier's chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. "Do you think Ashe is okay? I'm worried… Something isn't right here, Balthier."

"I know what you mean. The sooner we find her and get out of here, the better." Balthier sat up, forcing Vaan with him. "We ought to wake the others and get a move on."

They woke the girls first, Penelo cooing at the twins when she saw them. "How cute is that. Bet they've been like that all night, too."

"Focus, 'Nelo."

"Right, sorry. I'll wake them up."

They'd been exploring seemingly endless caves for _hours_. Their legs hurt and everyone was becoming agitated as they grew tired. Their concern for Ashe is the only thing that kept them going through the fatigue, the only thing that kept them from snapping at one another. Ashe was more important than arguing simply because they were all weary.

They saved their voices for calling for their lost friend, calling and calling until their voices were hoarse from being overused. Walked until they no longer could, until sweat blurred and tears blurred their vision.

"Oh God," Vaan suddenly croaked, rubbing at his eyes as tears began to flow like a river. "She's gone, isn't she? We aren't going to find her. We're probably lost. What are we going to do…?"

Balthier tugged the distressed blonde into his arms, meeting Fran's eyes over his head. Even she looked so… Defeated. That was a word Balthier thought would _never_ describe the strong woman, yet here it was. He saw her shake her head slightly, her eyes falling.

"Shit," Balthier cursed loudly, everyone jumping in shock. "We can't stop looking, whether we find her alive or otherwise."

"Or otherwise? Excuse me?"

"Ashe," was the shocked exclamation from several member of the group, Vaan immediately breaking from Balthier, to pull the battered looking woman into a huge. She collapsed against him, the fatigued blonde unable to hold her up, the both of them crashing to the cave floor.

"Are you okay," Fran asked first, helping the woman to her feet and letting the brunette lean on her. Balthier dragged Vaan into his arms, sitting on the cave floor and adjusting them until they were comfortable, soon followed by everyone else for a well-needed rest.

"I'm fine. I don't know what happened," Ashe admitted, voice a bit shaky. "I fell down the hole, and then suddenly I woke up somewhere else. I've been walking for so long. My legs hurt," She groaned.

Vaan smiled fondly. Leave it to Ashe to complain about aching legs after suddenly waking up on the other side of a huge ass cave system within a moment. "I think," the blonde started softly, "we should get some rest, then try to find our way back out of here."

Murmurs of agreement from all around urged them all to lay down, ridiculously close together. Everyone was touching somewhere, the paranoia of losing another person causing them to huddle up. It took time, but everyone eventually fell into light sleep.

Hours later, when everybody was awake once more and accounted for, they set off in search of the exit together. Nobody knew how far they really were, at _least_ a couple hours. Worse off, nobody had kept track of where they'd actually gone, which routes they took. Fear for Ashe made them careless.

"Well, we ought to go any way that leads up. Up is the only way out," Penelo reasoned, Gabranth nodding in agreement behind her. "It makes the most sense."

"I don't recall any harsh inclines or declines while we were looking for Ashe. There might not _be_ an up," Vaan countered, frowning slightly and clinging to his boyfriend.

"One way to find out," Balthier added. "We have to keep moving, though, no matter what. We can't risk getting separated again, and please do remember, watch your footing."

They trekked on, making idle chatter to combat the silence of the caves. Balthier and Vaan lead the group, setting a moderate pace that would make progress without wearing anybody out. They stopped only when they came to a series of openings, about five of them.

"Which way do we go? None of them go up and they all look the same."

"In that case, we pick one and hope for the best." Everybody waited while Penelo did a quick "eeny meeny miney mo" and filed into the tunnel that was chosen. They got about ten feet in before the cave collapsed entirely in front of them, missing Vaan by inches.

"Jesus Christ," the blonde shouted, tripping backward and landing flat on his back in his fright. "What the Hell!?"

Fran and Penelo hauled him back onto his feet, Penelo looking absolutely freaked out, more so than any of the rest of them.

"It's almost like… Like the caves are alive. Moving, changing… Trying to _kill_ us!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Basch scoffed, rolling his eyes, earning an elbow to the side from his brother and a stern look that said, 'be nice'.

"I don't think it's that ridiculous, actually," Balthier murmured, looking around. "How else would I have never reached the entrance to the cave, or Ashe end up so deep it took hours to reach her. Why else would I feel like I'm being watched?"

Everyone shared a collective shudder, unconsciously huddling together. They carefully exited the tunnel, back into the larger area.

"So what the fuck are we supposed to do then? It won't let us out," Basch snarled, becoming frustrated. This was one fucked up situation, and maybe they were all going batshit.

"We just have to keep going. We have no other choice." With that, Balthier chose another tunnel and walked in, Vaan at his heels in seconds, afraid to lose him. The rest followed at a slower pace, cautious.

They walked for a while, ten minutes or so, before the tunnel floor suddenly inclined sharply. Balthier stopped, Penelo slamming into his back. She gave him a questioning look. "This… Looks too convenient."

"Think it's a trap?"

"Has to be."

"Maybe it's not."

Light arguing ensued over whether or not they should go up or go back. The majority, Fran, Ashe, Basch, and Penelo thought up was the option. The other three thought it best to go back.

"Majority rule, we go up," Ashe said, taking the lead.

"Majority doesn't rule when it's something you want and we don't," Balthier snarked, but followed nonetheless. Their princess had made up her mind.

It was a damn hard climb, but well worth it when they reached the top and saw their flare (Which should have gone out forever ago), their rope, and the sun shining bright above.

"What…? It's like… Like we never even left. We need to get the Hell out of here." Everyone took Vaan's lead in pulling on their rappelling gear, making quick work of getting their harnesses secured. Vaan gripped the rope, sending a prayer to every God he had ever heard of, and started his ascent to freedom.

He climbed slowly, cautiously. He was sore all over, tired, and all around frightened, just like everyone else. What if this wasn't real? A trap? He let out a whimper, picking up the pace and climbing steadily until he reached the top.

Pulling himself up and over the lip of the drop, he collapsed onto the ground. He stared at the canopy of leaves above him, eyes fluttering shut. He listened to everyone climb over, one by one. They were finally safe.

Vaan forced his eyes open, forced himself to his feet. "I wanna get the Hell away from this cave," he huffed. He grabbed his backpack, stuffing his gear inside, and started walking back to their camp. He didn't wait for anybody, and didn't stop until he was sitting in one of the camping chairs.

It didn't take horribly long for the others to join him, each person dropping their gear and taking a seat. "I think alcohol and a nap is in order. Then we can get the fuck off this mountain and go home." He grabbed the now-warm bottle of Captain Morgan from where it had been left on top of the cooler, screwing off the lid and taking a few large swigs, until the burn and taste were too much for him to handle.

They passed the bottle around until it was empty and everyone had a good buzz going. Fran stumbled to her feet, turning on the radio, and everyone split to their tents once again. Balthier threw the day cover over their tent, darkening the inside, and allowing Vaan to climb in first.

Once settled on the soft air mattress, Balthier pulled his boyfriend close and held tight. That was certainly one experience he, unfortunately, was never going to forget, and he felt the need to be as close to his love as possible. A reassurance.

 **That'd be day three! It's not over yet! : )**

 **Thanks for reading and PLEASE REVIEW! 3**


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